Ready for business
Candidates outline their visions for city
WAYS to improve and diversify the city’s economy have dominated discussion among mayoral candidates at a Geelong Business Network forum.
At the first of two public mayoral events, seven of nine aspirants yesterday addressed about 180 people at the Mercure Hotel on a range of business, social and leadership issues.
Bernadette Uzelac announced her plan to establish a $15 million Geelong Region Advantage Fund, modelled on a similar fund in Newcastle in the 1990s following the closure of BHP Steel mills.
In conjunction with other tiers of government, the fund would be used to attract and assist businesses locating to the region.
Ms Uzelac was one of several candidates who spoke about the need to improve the council’s planning processes, to attract businesses and supply certainty to the sector.
Stephanie Asher’s top two priorities are to create jobs and have council’s planning department set a national benchmark.
MsAsher also forecast a day when long-standing firms Alcoa, Ford and Shell would close in Geelong, and the need to encourage other clean-tech projects.
Keith Fagg reiterated his plans for a council department called Enterprise Geelong, which would be a ‘‘onestop shop’’ for industry.
A business incubator in a closed-down school building in the northern suburbs and a vision to cut planning approval deadlines in half to 30 days are also among his priorities.
Mayor John Mitchell said his council had led the way in advocating for Geelong’s key firms, including Alcoa, Ford and Avalon, plus new projects such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
‘‘We are the envy of every other regional city in Australia,’’ Cr Mitchell said, before outlining the city’s upgraded public facilities, including aquatic centres, libraries, kindergartens and family hubs.
He also forecast two ‘‘good announcements’’ in relation to the Geelong Ring Rd employment precinct, while arguing the slated freight logis- tics hub should be at Avalon, not Lara.
Ms Uzelac said settling on a location for the hub as soon as possible would a key priority if she was elected.
Ron Watt spoke about changing to emerging pillars in the health, education and service sectors, while fostering developments in bio-tech, tourism and health promotions.
Graeme Robin focused on the inability to continually grow — in population and the economy — and pitched a large reduction in rates and council services.
Frank Rozpara said his experiences over the past four years had taught him that the council’s regulatory framework needed improvement and he lamented a ‘‘building frenzy’’ across the city.
Committee for Geelong chairman, Mr Michael Betts, lauded the current municipal election campaign, saying it was in stark contrast to 2008, when several wards were uncontested and debate did not focus on citywide issues.